CONSIDER 7 BLESSINGS FROM GOD’S WORD FOR YOU.
The flesh fights against it, society’s demands fight against it, and evil foe fights against it. The fight is for your mind and keeping you from being fed the truth of God’s Word. The fight is to see life as though God does not exist and if He does that He is irrelevant in your circumstances to such an extent that you are capable of living life without Him! The fight is to keep you from THINKING right. Troubles come, we have to THINK in them, we either lean to our own understanding or the ways of the world which are devoid of the wisdom of God, or we choose to THINK through the lens of Scripture. Paul told the believers to “renew” their mind as this is God’s means in transforming us. Jesus said when encountering demonic temptation, “man shall not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Paul told young Timothy in the midst of times when people would turn aside, he was to remain faithful and “preach the Word.” To the Philippians he wrote from prison to THINK on TRUTH. ” Whatever things are TRUE, PRAISEWORTHY… LET YOUR MIND DWELL THERE.” Temptations? Turn to God and His Word! Troubles? Turn to God and His Word! Times of material blessing had called some in the old testament to “forget,” Him. His Word gives us sound, Godly advice to take in and heed…Look at some blessings to encourage you in coming to His Word to be transformed….
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
1. FREE YOU UP – “And you shall KNOW the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall Set you FREE.”- John 8:31-32
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
2. BUILD YOU UP – “And now I commend you to God and the Word of His grace which is able to BUILD YOU UP…” – Acts 20:32
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
3. GROW YOU UP – “Like new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word by which you GROW…”- 1 Pet 2:2
God’s Word enlightened by the Holy Spirit and PRACTICED by the believer is able to FREE you up, BUILD you up, and GROW you up…SPIRITUALLY and not only these three but Consider some other things God’s Word is Capable of doing in your Life….
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
4. GIVE YOU DISCERNMENT – “In fact though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of GOD’S WORD all over again…. Solid food is for the MATURE, who by CONSTANT use have TRAINED THEMSELVES to DISTINGUISH good from evil.” – Hebrews 5:14
Applying God’s Word in your daily Living brings about MATURITY and as a result you can understand and discern what God says is good and what God says is Evil. To be sure, others may differ with your “assessment” of things but not God. For what He calls “good” is “good” and what He calls “evil” is evil … and you will be in alignment with Him as you Chose to APPLY and PRACTICE obeying His Word.
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
5. BLESS YOU – “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives FREEDOM, and CONTINUES to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, BUT DOING IT- he WILL BE BLESSED in what he does.”- James 1:25
The Blessing is not for the one who knows truth. The blessing is not for the one who teaches truth. The blessing is not for the one who can recite the truth. The blessing is not for the one who can accurately divide the truth. The blessing is not for the one who agrees with the truth. The Blessing is for the one who is a DOER of the Word. God Blesses Obedience. Obedience is an evidence of Love for the Lord Jesus Christ. “He who has My Commandments and OBEYS them he it is who LOVES Me,” We express our Love to the Lord through obeying the Word of the Lord!
TO CLARIFY: Often when we speak of God’s Blessings people think, monetarily, materialistically…AND THIS IS OFTEN BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT APPEALS TO THE person supremely. It is WHERE THEIR TREASURE IS [Matthew 6:21]. Materialism and money are not evil in themselves, indeed God does bless with such, but they are not an evidence of the Divine Pleasure of God. God’s Word says in James 1:17, “Every good gift comes down from the Father….” His Word has come from Him. His provision for us. The Scripture also says God gives the capacity to make wealth. The Scripture asks, “What do you have that you did not receive?” God does give us material things and in Ephesians 4 to the one who has work, it is that he may know that God is providing for his or her needs that they may “give to the one who has need.” God gives wealth as a means to provide for us but also to aid those in need! The great Blessing is not always exterior. For indeed many have wealth who have no peace, but the blessing is inward contentment and satisfaction with the Lord Jesus and His Joy and Peace [Romans 5:1, Philippians 4:7] ruling our hearts and minds. God does Bless externally and God does Bless Internally.
THE CHILD OF GOD; Hears Gods’ Word and Obeys God’s Word and God blesses Obedience as He chooses. We do not obey to be blessed. We obey because He first loved us and out of Love for Him we CHOOSE to obey to express our Love to Him.
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
6. PRODUCE HAPPINESS – “Blessed or HAPPY is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. BUT his DELIGHT is in the LAW OF THE LORD and on His law he meditates day and night.” – Psalm 1:1-2 It’s not a happiness that is dependent on External Circumstances but a deep abiding happiness that God places in a heart… The Word “Blessed” here is sometimes translated “Happy” and is plural, ..”Oh the HAPPINESS” WITH the PRACTICE of God’s Word comes DISCERNMENT. True Happiness that is not based on what is or is not happening around us or to us but IN us. The Joy of the Lord is our strength- Neh 8:10
The HAPPY INDIVIDUAL or as it means THE SPIRITUALLY PROSPEROUS. oh the blessedness’s{Plural]… is characterized by three Things according to Psalm 1:
A. He has DISCERNMENT – verse 1
B. His DELIGHT is in the Word of God- verse 2
C. He is being DEVELOPED by God- verse 3
True Happiness comes from being a DOER of God’s Word.
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
7. GIVE YOU KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST – “And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things CONCERNING HIMSELF in ALL the SCRIPTURES.” – Luke 24:27
THE ROAD TO EMMAEUS;
What a Bible lesson it must have been for these two discouraged disciples on their way home from Jerusalem. Discouraged by Jesus death… Upon His resurrection He walks alongside them and somehow were “prevented from recognizing Him”- verse 16… Beginning with Moses He began to take them through the Scriptures and show them HIMSELF in the Scriptures. Too often we come to the Scriptures for “truth” or “knowledge” for knowledge sake. for Sunday school lessons, or Bible lessons, or sermon preparation and we MISS HIM!!! It is Possible to have your “devotions” and never meet with Him!
“BUILT THE DAM AND MISSED THE RIVER!”
As one old country preacher said about a Hotel that was built in the shape of a Dam beside the river in Knoxville, TN, in the USA ,”They built the Dam and missed the RIVER.” So often we Miss Him when we come to the Scriptures. Look for Him when you come to read. Does the passage you are reading say anything about Him? What does the passage you are reading say about Him? His character? Philippians 1:8 says that He is “Affectionate.” How true this is and How has He demonstrated that so to you? Dear friend, Be occupied with Him. Seek Him when you come to HIS Word. Some people are more occupied with “Principles” than the “PERSON” of Jesus Christ. They’ve “built the dam and missed the river.”- They MISS THE POINT. The Point being Christianity IS CHRIST!
We read in 2 Peter 3:18 that we are COMMANDED to GROW in our KNOWLEDGE OF HIM. Thirty years after his conversion Paul wrote,” that I may KNOW HIM…” – Philippians 3:8-10. Indeed he said he counted it all “dung” that he may “KNOW HIM.” Don’t get me wrong we need to know Principles from God’s Word so we can apply them to our life situation in order to please Him … but dear friend … the Goal is to Know and Love Him. Some people are content with Biblical Knowledge. But the Knowledge of God’s Word is to bring us to a Knowledge of God…that we may know Him and obey Him, Love Him and worship Him aright because it is Right and He is Worthy- John 4:23-24
GOD’S WORD is ABLE to…
1. FREE YOU UP
2. BUILD YOU UP
3. GROW YOU UP
4. GIVE YOU DISCERNMENT
5. BLESS YOU
6. PRODUCE HAPPINESS
7. TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST BETTER.
God has Given His Word, The Bible to you…to feed your soul and bless you. As food is for the body, God’s Word is for our soul, to feed our mind to think and see things from God’s perspective. To live in light of truth . What do you feed your mind on? It effects how we view and live life. We have to choose what to THINK on. What is it that you find yourself gravitating to when you find yourself under pressure? It is easy to gravitate to the refrigerator, to sink on front of the tv and try and comfort or numb our way through life. His Word offers “encouragement…and hope”-Rom 15:4. Our mind needs to be continually renewed, and if you think of the people who go through life’s struggles or have decisions to make, who need encouragement and hope and come to you and ask for help or your opinion, you can share with them and serve them in helping them see things from God’s perspective. Look at the 7 Blessings from God’s Word from the list above. Thank God for His Blessings, look to encourage others and distil hope into someone else s life. His Word is to be received, acted on and shared. I pray you will be encouraged to continue to do so. Life is short, God provides food for our soul. God provides His Word to transform our mind so we may love Him and be a help to others in this world. Some will receive it, others may reject it , but our privilege is to “hold forth the Word of Life.” The 7 Blessings from God’s Word are but a small sample of His Word. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and they speak of Him and His Word, its characteristics and find attributes concerning it of “comfort,… wisdom” He extends His Word to us to bring us to a knowledge of Himself, to meet, equip us to for life and that we may offer Hope to those in need through it!
1. Look up the References to the 7 Blessings
2. Pick two of the seven verses and commit to memory in order to praise Him, apply
3. Seek to share with someone else to encourage them
God bless and strengthen you to lay hold of Him and His Word for you.
Pass on the above 7 Blessings from his Word to someone else today